Google announces "Play as you download" function for Android

During Google's previous Games Developer Summit, Google announced plans for a feature called ‘Play as you download’ for Android, a feature that would allow you to, well, play a game as you download it.

This is a feature well-known to any console user out there and essentially allows you to experience whatever game you may be downloading before it is fully done, utilizing Android’s Incremental File System to use the core resources to play the title while other not so important files are downloaded lazily over the network. In simpler terms, it allows you to use the most vital parts of the games’ files while the less necessary files get downloaded in the background.

Using this system, players can download a larger game such as Call of Duty Mobile, and since the download will focus on the priority files, you’d be able to get through the base level install and then play almost immediately rather than having to wait for the entire game to install. Unfortunately, there is a catch. This is a feature that will have to be implemented by developers, and it is always possible that certain titles won’t take advantage of the functionality. By and large, it’s a safe bet that the more massive mobile games like New State or the previously mentioned Call of Duty will, but some smaller indie titles may not.

Regardless, this feature seems incredibly useful and practical and should lessen the impact of the inevitable increase of space that mobile games are beginning to take up. While Google hasn’t revealed a true release date for this function yet, they have promised it is coming soon. The only other catch is, this feature will only be available for devices running Android 12, Google’s latest OS, and any systems that will come after.